Cattle Alert: Japan Lists Steps, Concerns On US Beef
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--More procedural steps must be taken before Japan will agree to begin importing U.S. beef again, though possibly not from all U.S.-approved plants, according to a Japanese document given to U.S. senators.
In a chart provided to several U.S. senators by Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Ryozo Kato, Japan is now conducting 10 separate "risk communication" seminars to inform the public about U.S. beef imports and the U.S. experience dealing with `mad cow' disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
The seminars are scheduled to be conducted during the first two weeks of June, from June 1-14, according to the chart, entitled "Roadmap for the resumption of import procedure of U.S. beef."
Sometime after June 14, Japan intends to conduct an audit of the 35 U.S. beef producing plants that have already been audited by the U.S. for compliance with the regulations Japan has demanded on U.S. products.
Only after those steps are complete, according to the document that gives no timeline for completion, will there be a "resumption of beef import procedures from facilities that pass the audit."
One U.S. Department of Agriculture official, who asked not to be named, said Japan's apparent desire to approve only certain U.S. plants for purchases is troubling.
The USDA will insist on a system-wide approval from Japan that recognizes all plants that meet certain standards, the official said.
The USDA is now at odds with South Korea over that country's desire to approve some U.S.-qualified plants, but not others.
Karen Batra, a spokeswoman for the U.S.-based National Cattlemen's Beef Association, also expressed concern because it appears Japan is trying to regulate U.S. beef producers.
"I think that we would rather regulate our own facilities in this country rather than have a foreign government come over here and try to regulate our food supply," Batra said.
Japan banned U.S. beef for about two years after the U.S. found its first case of `mad cow' disease in December 2003. The country eased its ban in December 2005, but then stopped imports again about a month later after problems were found in a shipment that contained prohibited cattle material.
The USDA has apologized for the prohibited material in a shipment from one U.S. supplier and USDA Secretary Mike Johanns called it an honest "human error" that should not be allowed to happen again.
Source: Bill Tomson; Dow Jones Newswires; 202-646-0088; [email protected]
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--More procedural steps must be taken before Japan will agree to begin importing U.S. beef again, though possibly not from all U.S.-approved plants, according to a Japanese document given to U.S. senators.
In a chart provided to several U.S. senators by Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Ryozo Kato, Japan is now conducting 10 separate "risk communication" seminars to inform the public about U.S. beef imports and the U.S. experience dealing with `mad cow' disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
The seminars are scheduled to be conducted during the first two weeks of June, from June 1-14, according to the chart, entitled "Roadmap for the resumption of import procedure of U.S. beef."
Sometime after June 14, Japan intends to conduct an audit of the 35 U.S. beef producing plants that have already been audited by the U.S. for compliance with the regulations Japan has demanded on U.S. products.
Only after those steps are complete, according to the document that gives no timeline for completion, will there be a "resumption of beef import procedures from facilities that pass the audit."
One U.S. Department of Agriculture official, who asked not to be named, said Japan's apparent desire to approve only certain U.S. plants for purchases is troubling.
The USDA will insist on a system-wide approval from Japan that recognizes all plants that meet certain standards, the official said.
The USDA is now at odds with South Korea over that country's desire to approve some U.S.-qualified plants, but not others.
Karen Batra, a spokeswoman for the U.S.-based National Cattlemen's Beef Association, also expressed concern because it appears Japan is trying to regulate U.S. beef producers.
"I think that we would rather regulate our own facilities in this country rather than have a foreign government come over here and try to regulate our food supply," Batra said.
Japan banned U.S. beef for about two years after the U.S. found its first case of `mad cow' disease in December 2003. The country eased its ban in December 2005, but then stopped imports again about a month later after problems were found in a shipment that contained prohibited cattle material.
The USDA has apologized for the prohibited material in a shipment from one U.S. supplier and USDA Secretary Mike Johanns called it an honest "human error" that should not be allowed to happen again.
Source: Bill Tomson; Dow Jones Newswires; 202-646-0088; [email protected]